Collapsible luggage carrier



May 3, 1949. E. Pol-n.

COLLAPSIBLE LUGGAGE CARRIER Filedv June 2, -1948 JNVENToR.- E L 5A P O HI.y

Patented May 3, 1949 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

My invention relates to carriers or carriages for suitcases or similarpieces of luggage.

Objects of my invention are to provide such a carrier with collapsiblepart-s whereby the dimensions of the carrier can be considerably reducedwhen not used, to provide a collapsible carrier which can be easilystored in a suitcase or can be conveniently carried by any personwithout burdening the same appreciably, and to provide a collapsedcarrier that can be easily and quickly put into condition of use wherebya traveling person can move his suitcases and bags easily at any desiredtime.

Other objects are a collapsible luggage carrier that can stand and movelike a carriage and that forms a stable support of the carried thingsthroughout its use, a luggage carrier that can be pulled by a handlepositioned about at the level of a persons hand whereby the movement ofthe carrier is convenient, to connect this handle to the platform of thecarrier by a shaft whereby the carrier forms a coherent unit which isindependent from the carried luggage, to provide this shaft with a hingepin which allows turning movement of the shaft with respect to the platlform when the carrier i-s in condition for use whereby the direction ofthe shaft and the height of the handle can be adjusted as desired andconvenient, and to conceal the shaft under the platform when the carrieris not used.

Further objects are to provide the carrier with a platform adapted forcarrying pieces of lugof different sizes, to provide the carriersplatform with an adjustable extension plate, and to shift this platesubstantially completely into the platform when the carrier is not used.

Still further objects are to obtain these results with simple andreliable means and with a structure that can be easily and inexpensivelymade, and that can be easily handled, collapsed and adjusted for use.

Still other object-s and advantages will appear from the followingdescription of an exemplifying embodiment of my invention, from theappended claims and from the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l shows a partially sectional side view of an illustrativeembodiment of my invention in collapsed condition, the sectionallyrepresented part being cut along the line I-I in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 shows a partially sectional bottom view of the same embodiment,the cross-section being teken along the broken line 2-2 in Fig. 3.

'3 shows a vcross-section taken along the line 3-3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective View of the same embodiment in condition ofuse, a suitcase carried by this embodiment being indicated by dottedlines. Fig. 4 is represented on a smaller scale than Figs. l to 3.

Referring to the drawing, numeral 4 indicates a rectangular platform,and 5 wheels supporting this platform. There are more than two,preferably four, wheels 5 which are so distributed that the-se wheelsform a stable support of the platform and of the luggage carried by thelatter. For example, the wheels are positioned near the four corners ofthe platform. Preferably the wheels are casters of well known type.These casters adjust their direction to any moving direction, each wheelbeing rotatable in a bracket which can turn around a vertical axisrelatively to a disk 'I aflixed to the lower side of the platform 4.

A casing 8 is positioned under the platform 4 and so affixed to thelatter that the casing and the platform form one piece. The casing hasan elongated shape and preferably extends through the length of theplatform 4. The crosssection of the casing and of its inner space may berectangular. The casing comprises a bottom 9 and two lateral walls II.The ceiling of the casing may be formed by the platform 4. The walls IIextend to the front of the carrier a little beyond the platform 4. Theinner space of the casing forms a straight channel of uniformcross-section vand is open at the front side. The rear` end of thechannel also may be open. Each of the lateral walls II has alongitudinal -slot I2 which is closed at both end-s.

A shaft part I3 comprises two parallel elongated arms or tongues I4which are connected at theirl rear ends whereby the part I3 has a forkedshape. Two co-axial pins I5 of cylindrical shape are afl'lxed to thepart I3 near its rear end and project horizontally into the slots I2whereby the part I3 can slide in the direction of these slots as far asthe slots allow and, in the foremost position, can tu'rn around the axisof the pins I5. The part I3 fit the inner space of the casing 8.

Another shaft part I6 has an elongated shape fitting the spacebetweenthe arms I4 and is so connected to the part I3 that these parts canslide relatively to each other in their longitudinal directions.Preferably the arms I4 have longitudinal slots I1, and the part I6 isprovided with horizontally extending pins I8 reaching into the slots II.There may be two pairs of pins I8 positioned at a suitable distance fromeach other.

3 The position of the foremost pins I8 determines the end of therelative shiftability of the shaft parts so that some portions of theparts overlap in any position. A handle I9 is affixed to the front endof the part I6.

The parts I3 and I6 together form a shaft which, in the condition of useshown in Fig. 4, has a considerable length larger than the length of theplatform v4` andfsufiicientlyvlarge to raise the handlenlfajfup; tothelevelofr-the .bandi-of a pulling person. In collapsed condition, thecombined shaft ts the inner space of the casing 4 and can be concealedwithin this casing as shown in Figs. 1 to 3. In conditionof'-=use`,'fthe-part"l3 of my invention.

the part I6 forms the front and higher partof be shaft.

The upper side of the platform 4 issprovided with a broad groove 2I.which extends in longitudinalldirection of theplatform from` the lattersrear' end over ya considerable `portion of the 4plat-- ormsM-length.l"The Vgroove 2| has `dove-tailed fsides. A plate'22 ofv correspondinglydove-tailed `cross-'section ritsU the vgroove `2 I- slidingly. v.In theposition. shown in Fig.. 4, the plate22 ispartly jshifted 'out oftheY'groove `2I-and formsan exten- "sion ofE theplatform #whereby thecarrier is adjusted for carrying a suitcase 23 which is longer lthanthe-'unextended platform 4. The 'width of `the platform; is'about' equaltothe usual width fof 'a-suitcase-of" this length-and is-'considerably*smalle-1'" than the'usual height ofsuch a suitcase. 4"'-The'-rearendofthe' platev 22 maybe provided lwith an upwardly-projectingyend 'plate24 which Ystops"rearward-'shift of theV suitcase 23.` Pref- '^erably`,the end plate' 24 is hinged to the plate` 22 "whereby'f' the endplate'can -be"folded down 4as `l'shown-in'ligs'. vlto 3. Forexample,`projections .25 are affixed to the rear end of the plate-22iand 'entervrecesses ofthe endplate' '24, and a hinge jpi-n 26 lconnectsthe e'nd'plateand-'the projections "25 rotatably.= In-the'fraisedvposition' of the lend V*plate-24 1shown in' Fig. 4, lthe lower-end oftheend plate contactsthe'rear endof theplate22 whereby thee'nd-'platejisprevented from'turning farther to4 the rear iside.

total height of the carrier vin the collapsed condition shown inf Figs.1 to L3, or 'the "heightsof v` the platform 4 andtheend plate'24'overthe ground-'are considerablysnallerthan the usual vuwidtht of thesuitcase 123 whereby' the collapsed carrier has a verysmall 'sizeand'can be easily placed-withinthe suitcase 23 whenthe' carrier is"notusetk the'carrier'having three dimensions `perpendicular toeachother each ofwhich is smaller than'fon'e of three perpendiculardimensions of ithesuitcase.

In order'toiadjust the carrier for use, the handle "I9 'is p'ulled tothefront whereby first the shaft ,part-'- vI 6,-then 'also the shaftpart*I3 slides out of :"the.. casing 8 until-the 'pins' *I5 "prevent further:extractionfi' Then the lshaftl may be turned-up `laroundtheaxis'ofthepins' I5." The' plate 22 is shiftedtoltherearas far asthe'size ofthe-suitcase t'o becarried' requires, `and the-end platel 24Y is turnedup.

'Meansmay be' provided'tosecure the shaft Ways without departing fromthe spirit of my invention as it is obvious that the particularemf'fbo'diment'shown and described is only one of the many that may beemployed to attain the objects .'Having described the nature of myinvention, what I vclaim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A luggage carrier comprising a platform,

A"wheels supporting said plat-form ina substantially horizontalposition, a Acasing `affixed to the lower V*side of saidplatform-extending along Asubstantially the entire'lengthof said'platform and 'hav- `ing a wallA with lalongitudinal slot, said casing'being open atits frontend,fsaid slotbeing closed atA the frontend, Aashaftttingthe inner space ofsaid casing-'slidably, a-"pin'affxed to saidshaft *near the reariendof th'e lsame `and reaching 4'into said slot,and'ahandle aiiixed-to the front end ofsaid' shaftsai'd 'pin forming ahingeof said `shaft when' the `latter 'is iri'its foremost position, thefront end. of said casing and the rear end of .said shaftlhaving"'shapes allowing, in said posi- 4tially th'ezentire length ofsaid platform and hav- `ing a wall* with alongitudinal slot, Y saidcasing beingopen atits'ffront'endysa'id slot being closed rear part nearVthev reare'ndof 'the same and reaching into` said slot, "and a handleafxed to "the front end of said front part, said pin forming a hinge `ofsaidshaft when the latter is in its foremost position, the frontendofsaid casing "and they rear'e'ndof said'shaft having'shapes allowing; insaid position, turning movement of said shaft relatively 4to saidcasing.

3'. A luggagey carrier -comprising a platform,

-wheels supporting said platform, a 'casingaflixed 'to the lower*side"of said-platform, vextending along substantially the entirelengthof said platvform and having a'wallwith a longitudinal "slot,

" said casing being'open at-*its frontend,l said slot ibeing closeda'tthe front end, a plate engaging -A said platform vslilably.'longitudinalv` direction v and shiftable from a position where'saiclplate Yforms arear-v continuationiof said platform to a vposition@wheresaid" plate and said` platform are fccllapsed, a shaft fttingthe" innerlspace of said casingbslidably, a ipin `'affixed to said'shaft'near therear -endi ofthefsame and reachingtintursaid 11 slot', -and afhandle`faffxedzti'r.the frontend of to the lower side of said platform,extending along substantially the entire length of said platform andhaving a wall with a longtudina1 slot, said casing being open at itsfront end, said slot being closed at the front end, a plate engagingsaid platform slidably in longitudinal direction and shiftable from aposition Where said plate forms a rear continuation of said platform toa position Where said plate and said platform are collapsed, a shafthaving a front and a rear part engaging each other slidably inlongitudinal direction whereby said shaft can collapse and has a reducedlength in collapsed condition, said shaft, in collapsed condition,fitting the inner space of said `casing slidably, a pin affixed to saidrear part near the rear end of the same and reaching into said slot, anda handle aiiixed to the front end of said front part, said carrier, whensaid REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the fileof this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Oyston Mar. 8, 1927 Number

